Feb 29, 2012

Le printemps est arrivé / The spring IS here!

With the cold chilly weather "gonne in the wind" it has changed for un grand soleil and warm perfect sticky limestone weather. It suddenly was time to put the waterfall gear away and bring out the 5-10's again!

Heya climatechangeee! From being a mediocre water ice winter the conditions became more then perfect. All and every thinkable waterfall was in, even low southfacing ones down in l'Arve.

Maybe named cascade de Bay, above Bay la route pl d' assy
Became the last ice route this winter as it looks, 2 pitches of steep ice

First pitch of Cascade de Bay, soft ice made it worth punching the blades in ddeeepp...

An other fine one pitch icefall above Passy

Turning pages in topo le vallee l'Arve and the choice fell on Tête louis philippe and its 2star route Ascendances. Happy in the car driving up to Luth, swinging on the sac a dos and start looking for the trail.

Quite soon I realise, there is no trail. Or, very many trails...no big signs saying le route "le Tête"!?

After about one hour bushwakking we had had it, enough is just about enough. Looks like the climbing god had other plans for today. After searching the way back to the car the goal would be home for some coffey, or, more road to le Balme. Easy choise. On the road again...

Yesterdays route, also on le Balme and the almost solid zebra 6c, was a nice warm up. But somehow the 6a pitches felt harder then the 6c...strange.


Zebra, It even includes some finger jams, real climbing, yes!

So today I tough't that the neighbor, Andromède 7b, could make a nice workout for some poor pas abattus fingers.

With a first pitch of 6a before the going gets tuff with 7a and 7b.

But that 7a pitch is a strangler I must say, took three tryes and then the next pitch if 7b felt more realistic somehow. Must get back to try it in one go.

 

Trying to focus...

One really sad thing with the arrival of the springtime is that this great fontaine with its quite enjoying yellow ice will be gonne. It has been a source of a couple of good laughs...

/ You can always tell a cowboy, but you cant tell him much

 

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